Home » Miscellaneous » President of Belize Chamber of Commerce fires back at GOB’s verbal firing squad

Jun 24, 2011

President of Belize Chamber of Commerce fires back at GOB’s verbal firing squad

Still on the issue of the nationalization of B.E.L., the president of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been the main target of the government’s verbal firing squad since the chamber expressed grave concerns about the country’s second corporate takeover. The United Democratic Party’s propaganda published a photo of Kay Menzies while dressed up for a costume party, indicating that she shouldn’t be taken seriously. Menzies took hits as being narrow-minded. She struck back today in a three page release reaffirming the statements previously made on behalf of the chamber. She said QUOTE “Our release was on point in expressing our concern regarding a second nationalization taking place in as many years. Whatever the reasons for doing so, extreme measures by governments, such as nationalization, are carefully monitored by international observers and organizations. This has been confirmed by Standard & Poors’ almost instantaneous response to BEL’s nationalization. The reason for international monitoring is simple. Many international organizations, including commercial banks, have significant investments at stake in Belize and so any downturn in Belize’s economy directly affects foreign investment. It is therefore our view that nationalization should only be resorted to after every other available option has been thoroughly exhausted. Having had discussions with representatives from both BEL and the government prior to the nationalization, our informed opinion remains that the government had not exhausted all alternatives prior to nationalizing BEL.” Unquote

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Can someone, maybe the chamber or BEL tell us if there was a contingency plan that would guarantee the people of Belize & the businesses now supporting BEL a constant supply of electricity that would keep their homes & businesses afloat. Are we to assume that your members all have back up generators? Most Belizeans do not, they cannot afford it or the gas to run it. Most small businesses, most people are living from hand to mouth & if there was a solution offered which took the needs of our poor & working class people into consideration, please feel free to share it with us. We cannot continue to squeeze our people & not face the reality that the resulting anger & violence has turned most of the city into a virtual ghost town by nightfall.

Lets have competition in the communications sector, the electricity sector, food sector, liquor and butane sectors.
Instead of being a controlled monopoly state let businesses compete for customers, this will lower the price of all services to the Belizian people. I would love to have an alternative then BTL with its most expensive and shoddy service in all of Central America. And would love to pay the electric rates that Guatemala has.
Face it because of Government, belize is one of the most expensive countries in all of Central America and is only making it worse on the people of belize and scaring away investors at a rapid rate.

Out of all the comments thus far, the only person that made any actual, logical sense in Steve. The reason I say this, is because these are actual solutions; Competition, competition, competition; we currently live in a country where everything is pretty much a monopoly our economy is basically a plutonomy and to go even further, our economy can be described as a plutarchy, which is a combination of plutocracy and oligarchy.

In present day Belize, you either are on the gravy train trying to sap up as much gravy as you can, the rest is just a bunch of poor bastards that has no clue to what is going on and basically will continue to live in utmost poverty.

I have seen how the world works from i was teenager and I made sure that I got my education and did what I had to to do, within all legal and moral limits, to get on that gravy train, cause in this world, no one feels sorrow or give two fly bats about poor people, only thing you can do in this monetary system is make sure you are among the haves.